To Tackle Delhi's Air Pollution, Central Pollution Control Board Suggests Hiking Parking Fee By 3-4 Times When Condition Is 'Severe'

The Central Pollution Control Board has recommended to the Supreme Court that parking fee in Delhi/NCR be hiked 3-4 times when air quality is in the "severe" or "very poor" category between October and February.

Besides suggesting that RWAs provide electric heaters to security guards to avoid open burning of waste or biomass, CPCB also called for a complete ban on fireworks and impounding of visibly polluting vehicles. These recommendations were part of CPCB's "graded-responsibility action plan" submitted to the SC on Friday to tackle air pollution. It also said that, as a special measure, a task force on air pollution could recommend additional measures, such as closure of schools, along with other action points depending on the severity of levels.

CPCB recommended that a task force be constituted with representatives from CPCB, ministry of environment and forests, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Indian Meteorological Department and health experts who will oversee the implementation of this graded responsibility plan. CPCB also mentioned agencies responsible for enforcing these action points. For example, the municipal commissioners of Delhi and NCR will be responsible for hiking the parking fee when the air quality worsens, while DPCC and other NCR state pollution control boards will communicate air pollution levels and alerts through newspapers and TV.

For "severe" and "very poor" levels in the winter months, CPCB has recommended 17 action points. The same interventions will be taken up if the air quality is "severe" or "very poor" between March and May.

During these months, the levels are usually "poor" or "very poor". If the levels are between "poor" and "moderate" in summer, CPCB recommends watering of fly-ash ponds every alternate day and mechanised sweeping of unpaved roads, among other measures.

On November 22, TOI had reported about CPCB's graded-responsibility plan based on an AQI calendar. SC has asked Centre for Science and Environment head Sunita Narain to look at this plan and refine it further. On November 10, Chief Justice T S Thakur had rapped CPCB for its "sluggish" response on air pollution. "Do you want to wait till people start dying?" the bench had said.